Grab Your Reader's Attention in The Cover Letter

It's a difficult task. When looking through hundreds of applicants, how do you get an employer to read your resume? After all, that is where your qualifications are written and explained. It is the most important item in getting a job. How it's presented, looks, and gives your information is crucial. But what if it's never read? You just wasted your time writing the cover letter, filling out the application, and submitting a resume. So how do you get to the next level? How do you gain their interest enough to want them to keep reading? The answer is simple: Talk about the company, not yourself.

Before we discuss the details of how this is accomplished, let's talk about why. I can talk to a person for hours, and not say a single thing about myself, and keep the other person interested. Afterward, they will think we had a great conversation, but will probably not be able to say a thing about myself. I can do this by talking about the most interesting topic to the other person, themselves. People love to talk about themselves, and as they say, every person's favorite word is their own name. Well, a company is no different. They love to talk about themselves and love even more an applicant interested in their company.

In a well written, articulate cover letter that will land you the interview, the first sentence must be something about the organization. Find something the company takes pride in, find a great accomplishment they recently made. This almost always can be find by looking on the website, or by searching for the company and finding news articles. Remember, a cover letter takes time. Invest the time in learning about the company, and it will for sure pay off. How many other applicants will go through all that trouble? The next sentence needs to incorporate their mission statement, and how hiring you will make the organization achieve their mission. At the end of your letter, the employer will be thinking they have to hire you to achieve their mission, to be successful, and to beat out the competition! Ok, maybe that's a little overboard, but you understand the point I am trying to make. If you follow these steps, regardless of your qualifications, you will have an excellent chance at landing the interview, and a leg up over the competition. While everyone else is writing the same cover letter talking only about themselves, your cover letter will stand out by talking about the company.

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Article Submitted On: March 26, 2011